‘Hope’ thesp backed off from role at first

Fresh Face: Shannon Woodward

A working actress since the age of 10, Shannon Woodward may finally have what every thesp looks forward to: a steady gig.

However, when Fox expressed interest in casting Woodward as the love interest in “Raising Hope” she backed off at first.

“I had never done a comedy before, so I was a little bit scared and decided to pull myself out of the running,” she says. “They came back and said, ‘If you’re interested, we’re interested,'” Woodward told 411mania.com.

“I got to see the pilot they shot, and it was so good and I was so flattered that they were interested that I said, ‘Screw it, I’ll figure out how to do it as I go.'”